Ashes 2019: Determined ton from Rory Burns a reason for cautious optimism for England's opener slot

You wait all year for a batsman with an idiosyncratic technique to score a Test match hundred and then two come along in two days. If Day 1 at Edgbaston belonged to the ever-restless Steve Smith , then Day 2 was all Rory Burns – England’s opener batting through the day, unbeaten on 125, to put his side in a strong position at the close . [caption id=“attachment_7103081” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Rory Burns played a gusty and determined knock on Day 2 of first Ashes Test at Edgbaston. Reuters[/caption] There has been an element of the cursed to England’s openers spots in recent years, the merry-go-round of players has barely stopped spinning since the retirement of Andrew Strauss in 2012, a solution scarcely appearing any clearer despite the number of men tried. After a horror show against Ireland last week, there were cries in some quarters for Burns to be the latest man thrown on the pyre of discarded openers, fortunately for England the selectors held their nerve. This was a knock to restore faith in logic and sound reason. Burns, after all, has been county cricket’s standout run scorer for a number of years. If he doesn’t have what it takes to succeed at the highest level then who does? Maybe England’s openers had been netting unbeknownst on an ancient burial ground and were damned for all eternity. At home the picture has been particularly bleak. No man apart from the now retired Alastair Cook scored a century at home since Adam Lyth in 2015. The only man apart from Cook to register one abroad is Keaton Jennings, currently on his second dropping from the national side. It is of course premature to say that England have finally found the solution but given how barren the landscape has been in recent years, a few green shoots sprouting up are certainly cause for some optimism. This was a hundred to restore faith in old fashioned Test match batting - a discipline that has increasingly felt like some long lost language to this England side. The recent years might have seen them become fluent in white ball batting but with the red they have often seemed illiterate – the capitulation in the first innings against Ireland part of an embarrassingly burgeoning collection of meltdowns. In the face of Australia’s snarling pace attack, Burns was never afraid to scrap, expertly tip-toeing his way along with the requisite blend of skill and determination, with a healthy serving of luck thrown in for good measure. Burns played and missed 34 times in the day with his knock nowhere near the almost chanceless effort produced by Smith the day before. But that will be of little concern to him and England, after all it was thanks to the left-hander that at stumps they were just 17 runs behind the Australians and had six precious wickets still in hand. For those who had questioned Burns’ ability to play at the highest level this was a stinging riposte. A return to form forged in Oval net sessions under the watchful eyes of the Stewart brothers following the Ireland Test. It was by no means pretty but this was not a day when elegance was required, the grit Burns displayed has been all too scarce a commodity in recent years. Perhaps most impressive was the mental strength Burns showed. At one point he was stuck on 92 for 37 minutes, just eight away from the most important century of his career, the crush of competitive sporting pressure closing in on him. Then for 11 balls he was on 99 - just one run away for what must have seemed like a lifetime. The sort of situation that requires nerves of a metal far stronger than steel – that he battled through to three figures shows impressive mental fortitude. For England then, so far so good, but they know their work is far from over. Australia will begin Day 3 with an almost new ball, their seamers having given plenty of glimpses of the damage they could inflict, indeed without Burns perhaps they might have already. However the hosts remain in a strong position, for once their lower order has a steady base to work from, whether they can make the most of it remains to be seen.